Alleged Mount Hope overpayment tops $78K

MOUNT HOPE — Incivility reared its ugly head once more at the latest Mount Hope Town Board meeting, where public discourse frequently devolves into heated cross-talk and accusations.

Gittel Evangelist

MOUNT HOPE — Incivility reared its ugly head once more at the latest Mount Hope Town Board meeting, where public discourse frequently devolves into heated cross-talk and accusations.

Board members Gary Ketcham and Janet Sutherland found themselves on the hot seat again on Monday night, as the public demanded answers to the question of tens of thousands of dollars in apparent overpayments by the town to the Mount Hope Fire District.

That figure, originally reported at more than $49,000, was raised to more than $78,000 with the discovery of an additional $27,500 payment made Dec. 31 in the final act of the outgoing Town Board and approved by both Ketcham and Sutherland.

That payment was disclosed as the result of a FOIL request by Mount Hope farmer Rick Vreeland, revealing a check was signed by the late former Supervisor Bill Novak Jr. The memo line on the check reads, "Balance of Mount Hope Fire." The town's photocopy of the check bears a highlighted notation: "Never cleared the account. Insufficient funds."

Vreeland pointedly asked Ketcham and Sutherland to explain all the overpayments to the public; however, the two refused to answer, prompting an awkward moment of silence, followed by an outcry from the audience.

The town initially contracted for a little more than $312,000 in payments to the fire district, but has in fact paid out more than $390,000. The fire district was formed last year,

At issue is not only the unexplained overpayments, but also the perceived legitimacy of the fire district itself. Vreeland ended his remarks by informing the board he had a petition with 350 signatures of people seeking to put the fire district up for a public referendum, in the hopes of dissolving it.

Before forming the district, the town had historically contracted with the Village of Otisville for fire protection services — an arrangement that was a well-known sore spot for Novak and his allies on the Town Board, who said the town's majority was beholden to the village, while the village controlled the purse strings.

About 25 firefighters from the Otisville department left to form the Mount Hope company in 2012; the new town district is run by a board of commissioners.

Mount Hope resident Michael See said he held no loyalty to either fire unit.

"My concern is, in the future, where do we go? It's clear those men are not going back. Are there enough legitimate people to answer the calls? What is the price of our lives?"

During a recess in the meeting, as the board went into executive session to consult with the town attorneys, Otisville Assistant Fire Chief V. Mike Coppola Jr. approached See, telling him he disagreed with See's premise the Otisville fire company didn't have enough men.

The two quietly discussed the issue and heard each other out. And, in a seemingly rare moment at Mount Hope Town Board meetings, they clapped each other on the arm and thanked each other.